GFI WebMonitor is a powerful and complete web filtering, discovery, management and security solution for IT administrators. It is fast, scalable, easy to use and configure, and scans Internet traffic using up to three antivirus engines, to protect networks.

GFI WebMonitor enables IT admins to give employees the freedom to use the internet at work or on the road, while putting controls in place to prevent malware infections, bandwidth misuse, productivity loss, data loss, time wastage, legal risk and more.

Administrators can see what websites users are currently browsing and what files are being downloaded. An active connection, browsing session or download can easily be blocked, simply by clicking the block connection icon. This proves very useful if you need to interrupt the download of an overlarge file.

Monitor and Block Applications' Hidden Downloads

Some software applications connect to their home pages to download updates without the user¿s consent, using HTTP tunneling. Although this reduces software version administration, it also presents a security risk. Unknown applications (or Trojans) often use the same technique to download malicious files. Spyware, adware and pornware can be downloaded to a user¿s PC without his/her consent. GFI WebMonitor gives you control over which sites are allowed to distribute updates, ensuring that only safe sites (for example, www.microsoft.com) gain behind-the-scenes access to your computers.

Allow Exceptions through Whitelist and Blacklists

Any URL or user or IP can be added permanently or temporarily to the whitelist or blacklist which will supersede all web filtering and web security policies. For example, you could temporarily grant access to a particular user for his or her personal webmail account for a specified period of time, say over employee lunch breaks.

Controlled Access to the Configuration and Monitoring

GFI WebMonitor allows you to select which users can access the program¿s configuration and monitoring interfaces. You can assign rights based on either the IP of the computer from which access is being made or by the domain-authenticated username of the client trying to load the configuration. Only users in GFI WebMonitor¿s authorized users or IP list will be given access.

Features of GFI WebMonitor - WebFilter Edition

WebGrade Database Coverage of over 205m URLs

The WebGrade database offers increased URL coverage across multiple languages. The database size includes over 205 million domains. Due to the constantly changing nature of the web, GFI WebMonitor also queries GFI servers for categorization of URLs that are not found in the local cached database. If a URL is found to be uncategorized, it is processed by the server and added to the database.

Top Policy Breakers

GFI WebMonitor will now report details on all users who were stopped by GFI WebMonitor from breaching your company's Internet Usage Policy. Such breaches may include browsing restricted sites, downloading of malware infected files or file types that are blocked through download control policies.

WebFilter policy exceptions

Apart from a generic Blacklist/Whitelist, the admin can also define site exceptions for each particular policy. A typical example will be to block all news sites except CNN.com.

Time-based Filtering

Each of web-filtering policy may be configured to work on a schedule, meaning that administrators can configure the product to allow users or groups to access certain websites during specific intervals; for example allowing more open access to entertainment or webmail sites during employee break times.

Mitigate Legal Liability

Without the ability to exercise some form of management over what your users are browsing, you leave yourself open to legal liability in any number of ways. Provide your employees with safe, well managed access to the Internet while on your premises and you will safeguard your company, your employees and your bottom line.

The admin has the ability to create multiple user/group/IP-based policies to reflect the organization¿s security policies. For example, the admin can create a policy which prevents employees from downloading videos and MP3 files.

Scan Downloaded Files with Multiple Anti-virus Engines

GFI WebMonitor uses multiple virus scanners to protect you against inadvertently downloading malicious software. Using multiple scanners drastically reduces the average time taken to obtain the latest virus signatures, greatly reducing the risk to your site by each new virus. Also, since each engine has its own heuristics and methods, each brings its own unique strength in detecting and correcting for the ever-increasing variety of viruses. Overall, more anti-virus engines means more virus protection. GFI WebMonitor is bundled with Norman Virus Control and BitDefender. It automatically checks and updates the Norman Virus Control and BitDefender definition files as they become available. The GFI WebMonitor price includes updates for one year.

To achieve greater security and enhance the benefits gained by scanning via multiple anti-virus engines, users can add the Kaspersky SuperSecure anti-virus engine, available as an optional add-on. The Kaspersky SuperSecure database includes support for the detection of malicious software that can perform remote administration, keyboard espionage, password detection, automatic dial-up to paid sites, automatic downloads of files containing explicit materials and more. GFI WebMonitor automatically checks and updates the Kaspersky definition files as they become available.

Protect Against Socially Engineered Phishing Websites

Phishing is a social engineering technique that is used by malicious hackers to acquire personal information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details. These sites are designed to lead users to believe that they are passing on their details to the genuine company. Online shopping and credit card companies are among the most targeted phishing websites. GFI WebMonitor protects users from the potential risks of social engineering by blocking access to phishing websites. This is done through the use of an auto-updatable database of phishing URLs.

Manage which File Types Users can Download

You can create multiple user/group/IP-based control policies in order to block the download of particular file types (such as Javascript, MP3, MPEG, exe, and more) for particular users or groups or IP addresses. Dangerous files (for example, Trojan downloader programs) often attempt to penetrate a system masked as an innocuous file. GFI WebMonitor uses its built-in file signature scanner to analyze and detect the real file type signatures of downloaded HTTP/FTP files.

Web categorisation and reputation-based filtering policies for over 460,000,000 URLs

GFI WebMonitor allows you to block access to specific websites as well as define web filtering policies, allowing or restricting access to particular categories of websites on a per user, per IP or department basis. You can manage access for websites in categories, such as adult material, online gaming, personal email, travel websites, P2P, social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and many others. GFI WebMonitor features WebGrade™ that provides URL coverage for more than 460,000,000 domains and is updated every day.

Application control

Keeping malware from getting onto the network is a number one priority, but a major challenge for IT admins is the control of applications that connect to the Internet. System administrators need to manage apps that can upload, edit and post files, folders, and/or post status updates on social sites. With GFI WebMonitor, an admin can manage supported applications from a single console.

Time and bandwidth based browsing policies, and blocking for streaming media

GFI WebMonitor enables granular control over Internet usage in terms of download size and source, based on user/IP, time window, and more. You can create multiple user/group/IP-based control policies to reflect security and productivity policies in the organisation.

GFI WebMonitor is a subscription-based product which can be licensed and/or renewed on a 1-, 2-, or 3-year basis. It is licensed by seats accessing the internet. A subscription for GFI WebMonitor includes the main product, maintenance and the base update component (components included in subscription depend on edition purchased).

Returns policy

There is a no-returns policy on all GFI products.

WebFilter Edition

Includes browsing control based on time and bandwidth quotas, as well as website categorisation and URL filtering.

NOTE: Allocation of hard disk space depends on your environment. The size specified in the requirements is the minimum required to install and use GFI WebMonitor. The recommended size is from 150-250GB.